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(No Model.)

A. G. WILBER Deod.

i J. I. WILBER, Administratrix. SHARPENER POR LAWN MOWER KNIVES. No.597,926.

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UNITED lSri-iras PATENT Fries.

ALBERT Gr. WILBER, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS; JULIA I. WILBER ADMINIS- TRATRIXOF SAID ALBERT G. WILBER, DECEASED.

SHARP'ENER FOR LAWN-MOWER KNIVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,926, dated January25, 1898.

Application filed January 18, 1897. Serial No. 619,652. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT' G. WILBER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Sharpener for LaWn-MoWer Knives, of which thefollowing is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to Sharpeners for lawn-mower knives, and has forits object the attachment to a lawn-mower of a sharpening device whichmaybe so adj usted as to sharpen the knife at any desired bevel andwhich may also be adjusted toward the knife as it becomes lWorn and alsovertically adjusted to accommodate it to lawn-mowers irrespective of thediameter of their ground-Wheels.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novelfeatures and details of construction and arrangement of parts, ashereinafter fully described, illustrated in the drawings, and pointedoutin the claims hereto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of alawn-mower with the sharpening device attached thereto. Fig. 2 is an endview of the sharpening device detached. Fig. 3 is a rear view of one ofthe hangers which support the emery block. Fig. 4 is a perspective viewof the several parts of the hangers separated from each other. Fig. 5 isa section on the line a: .fr of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a side elevation ofthe brace and the devices to connect it to the grindingblock and thehandle of the machine.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in theseveral Iigures of the drawings.

1 represents the handle of an ordinary lawn-mower, and 2 thehandle-braces.

3 represents a bar, which may be of Wood or metal, as desired, and ofsufficient length to be supported at its ends upon the handlebraces. Thebar 3 is provided at each end with a Vertical slot 4t, extending intothe bar to a depth of three or four inches. The bar 3 is rmly secured tothe braces by means of hooks 5, Which iit under the braces 2 and theshanks of which extend up through the slot 4c and have their upper endsthreaded for the reception of a thumb-nut 6. Y

7 represents an emery-block which is supported in two hangers 8. Thesehangers are supported by the bar 3, one near each end thereof, and asthese hangers are exact duplicates of each other it Will be necessaryonly to describe one. The hanger consists of the upper shank portion 9and the lower semicircular portion 10. The shank 9 is slotted for nearlyits entire length, and through this slot 11 a bolt 12 passes into andthrough the bar 3 and is threaded at its end for the reception of athumb-nut 13. It will be seen, therefore,

that the hanger may be vertically adjusted on the bar 3, this adjustmentbeing necessary to enable the emery-block to be brought into properposition to be engaged by the knives irrespective of the diameter of thegroundwheels and to present a new grinding-surface Whenever necessary.The semicircular portion of the hanger is provided with a semicircularslot 14, extending throughit transversely, and is also provided With anintersecting slot 15, extending through it from front to rear. l

16 represents a jaw to hold the emery-block 7. As shown, the jaw issemicircular in outline and fits Within the semicircular portion l0 ofthe hanger and is provided in its front portion with a recess 17 for thereception of the emery-block, and from its rear a shank 18 extendsthrough the slot 15. This shank is flattened on opposite sides to Worksnugly in the slot 15 and to prevent its turning therein. The upper andlower faces ofthe shank are screw-threaded for the reception of the nuts19 and 20, the latter Working in the slot 14 and the former on the outerportion of the shank. By means of this construction it will be seen thatthe jaw 16 may be adjusted for- Wardly of the hanger, and also that itmay be partially turned therein to throw the emeryblock to any desiredangle to adjust it to the bevel of the knife to be sharpened and besecurely clamped in position.

The emery-block is firmly held in positon by means of lugs 21, extendinglaterally from the jaw and through which a screw 22 passes into the backof the emery-block. The lug 21 may be integral With the jaw or may beseparable therefrom. As shown in the drawings, the jaW is provided Witha slot 23, and the lug has a hooked end 24, which extends through theslot 23 and fits rover the metal between, the slot 23 and recess 17. Thelug is also provided with a recess 25 in its lower face for thereception yof a rubber cushion 26, against which the back of theemery-block will rest and which will permit the erneryblock to adjustitself to any uneven place in the knife. It will also serve to equalizethe pressure of the emery-block against the knife while being ground.

The emeryblock 7 consists ofthe hard-wood or metalbacking 27, to whichthe emery strip or other abrading material 28 is secured in any suitablemanner.

29 represents a hanger or brace adjustably connected at its rear endr tothe handle ofthe machine by means of a' clip 30 and at its for` ward endto the back 27 of theemery-block' by means of a plat-e 3l, having ahinged connection with the hanger 29, as indicated at 32. indicated at33, and provided with an opening 34 for the reception of the hangerandits upper lip is provided with a set-screw 35, by means of which the.clip is clamped on the handle and which also serves to force the splitsections of the lower lip together to clamp the hanger therein. Thishanger serves to prevent any springing of the emery-block at its middleportion and thus insures a uniform contact with the knife throughout itslength.

In practice it is intended to make the grinding-surface of theemery-block sixteen inches long, which block can then be used on amachine with knives of any length, from twelve to sixteen inches, for itwill be readily seen that by means of the slots 4 in the ends of the bar3 the device can be attached to machines of different widths, it beingof course understood that the bar 8 will be of sufficient length toadapt it to the widest machines. to be understood that for machines of alarger size-say those having blades from eighteen to twenty-four inchesin lengththe grinding-surface of the emery-block will be twenty-fourinches in length and the bar 3 ofsufficient length for the widestmachines.

In order to grind the blades, the emeryblock is adjusted at the desiredangle, so as to enablethe blade to rub against it, when by pushing thelawn-mower over the ground in its usual working position the blades willbe quickly sharpened. Another way to effect the sharpeningv is to lowerthe handle of the machine until the driving or ground wheels are out ofcontact with the ground, when they canbe turned by hand to rotate theblades against the emery-block, as the ground-wheels Having thusdescribed the invention, what The lower lip of the clip 30 isfsplit, as

It is also the-bar, the lower end of each' hanger being f semicircularand provided with a slot extendingthrough it yfrom front to rear, a jawhaving a semicircularv outline to iit within the lower end ofthehang'er,a shank extending l from the jaw through the slot in the hanger,

a block having a grinding-surface attached to said` jaws, substantiallyas described.

3. rA hanger. to support an emery-block on amowing-machine, consistingof an upper shank provided with a longitudinal slot and a lowersemicireular portion integral with the shank, said lower portion havinga'transverse semicircular slot and an intersecting slot extendingthrough it from front to'rear, comvbined with a `jaw in whichv theemery-block is carried, said jaw having a shank extendingv through theintersectingy slot in the hanger, said shank being screw-threaded, a nutworking on the shank in the transverseslot of the handle and a nut onthe outer end of the shank, substantially as and for the purposesspeciiied.

4. rPhe combination with a mowingmachine, of hangers adjustablysuspended from the frame of the machine, jaws carried on the lower endof said hangers, a block having a lgrindingsurface secured in the jaws,and

means substantially as described to adjust thejawsy toward or away fromthe knives and to adjust the grinding-block to any desired angle to beengaged by the knives, substantially as described.

5. In a grinding device for the blades of lawn-mowers, the combinationwith hangers depending from the frame'of the machine, a jaw adjustablysupported in each of said hangers, a lug extending laterally from thejaw and provided with a recess in its lower face, an elastic cushionseated insaid recess, and a grinding-block secured to said lug and-bearingagainst the elastic cushion, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the handle-braces of. a mowing-machine, of abarsupported on said braces and having vertical longitudinal slots at eachend thereof, hooks fitting under said braces with their shanks extendingup through the slotsin the bar, said Shanks being threaded and providedwith a clampingvnut, hangers supported by said bar and'- car# rying attheir lower ends a block having a grinding-surface, and meanssubstantially as described to adj ust the grinding-surface veri ticallyand horizontally and to change its ICO IIO

angle of inclination relative to the knives of the machine,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. In a mowing-machine, the combination of a grinding-block supported ateach end from the frame of the machine, to be engaged by the blades asthey are rotated, and a brace pivotally connected at one end to thegrinding-block intermediate its end supports, and detachably andadjustably connected at its other end to a part of the frame of theinachine, substantiallyT as and for the purpose specified.

8. The combination with a mowing-machine, of hangers adj nstablysuspended from the frame of the machine, jaws adjustably attached to thelower portions of the hangers, a grinding-block secured in said jaws,and a brace connected at one end to the grindingblock intermediate thejaws, and adj ustably connected at its other end to a fixed part of themachine-frame, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT Gr. WILBER.

Witnesses:

NICK SGHILTZ, FREDERICK BROWN.

